DLT grants - substance use disorder - medical

Mountain States Health Alliance (doing business as Ballad Health Medical Associates) received a $863,600 Project Grant award on September 23, 2025, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service under the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants program (CFDA 10.855). The grant period extends through September 23, 2027, and supports a Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Medical initiative based in Johnson City, Tennessee. While specific service delivery details are not provided in the award documentation, the project aligns with the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants program's stated objective to encourage the use of telemedicine, telecommunications, computer networks, and related advanced technologies to provide medical benefits to people living in rural areas. The program has increasingly prioritized substance use disorder treatment and prevention initiatives in rural communities as part of its recent portfolio expansion.

The award to this non-profit healthcare system builds upon Mountain States Health Alliance's existing experience in federal healthcare service delivery, including previous grants focused on rural health clinic vaccine confidence programming and telemedicine expansion. As a child entity within the Ballad Health healthcare system, the organization will leverage its established infrastructure and federal healthcare partnerships to implement this substance use disorder medical services initiative across its rural service area.